A major part of the Human Resources department is to ensure that comparable worth is used in determining pay. This means that just because you are male or female, does not limit how much you will be paid. The Pay Act of 1964 and the Title VII Act of the Civil War clearly lay out guidelines when determining pay for an individual. A HR manager must not base pay on age, sex, or race, but strictly on the job the employee will be performing.
Though, sex discrimination may not necessarily be a widespread issue today, it is important that if you are a victim of discrimination in pay that you are able to fight it. If you are a victim of discrimination, you must:
- Keep a diary of events-To be successful under the Pay Act you do not need to show discrimination on employer’s part just a discrepancy in pay.
- File a complaint with your HR office- Do this in writing so there is record of you trying to resolve the issue.
- Save any praises given by supervisor for example: post it notes- This will aide you if for chance you are fired for lack of performance or if you are said to have been given lower pay due to performance.
- File Complaint with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)-You can file a suit privately or with the EEOC to prosecute the employer. This would be a last resort if all other attempts fail.
In the even that an employee must prosecute an employer for not abiding by the Pay Act of 1964 or the Title VII Act of the Civil War, and discriminatory acts are proven in a court of law, an employee may recover all lost wages and benefits as well as up to $300,000 in punitive damages. The law takes discrimination seriously; HR managers need to maintain professionalism, ethics, and good character or legal action may be taken.
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